Ben Roethlisberger has had a busy offseason thus far, culminating of his first (hopefully of many) major individal accomplishments, as the former Miami (Oh.) Redhawk was inducted into the Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame.
Roethlisberger became only the third player from Miami (Oh.) to have his jersey retired and leaves behind several school and conference passing records. In Roethlisberger’s final collegiate season, he led the Redhawks to a No. 10 ranking in the AP Poll and defeated Louisville in the GMAC Bowl.
Roethlisberger winded up being selected No. 11 overall by Pittsburgh in the 2004 NFL Draft after some suggested he could potentially be the first player taken. Eli Manning and Phillip Rivers both ended up coming off the board before Ben, and while the three have all enjoyed great success in their careers, its hard to argue the Steelers didn’t get the better end of that draft.
Interestingly, Roethlisberger might not even be the most famous Steelers player in the MAC Hall of Fame, as former Kent State and Steelers LB Jack Lambert has already been afforded that honor. Lambert anchored four Super Bowls during his time in Pittsburgh, while Roethlisberger has delivered two.
Hopefully for Roethlisberger, his next Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be a little over 10 or 12 years from now and he’ll get to wear a gold jacket.
